“The Ceylon National Union ought to be disbanded right away.”
At the Ceylon National Association’s city conference on May 30, 1949, D.S. Senanayake declared that he had no intention of remaining a member of the organisation.
The Communist Party attempted to seize control of the Ceylon National Union when it demanded complete independence from British imperialists. Seeing that the Ceylon National Union was incorrect, D.S. could take no more of this and decided to found the United National Party.
S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, a leader of the Sinhala Mahasabha, founded the U.N.P. However, upon realising that the United National Party did not support the native language policy, or Swadeshi policy, which he supported, Bandaranaike decided to separate from the UNP and form the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.
Wijeweera formed JVP going against traditional left-wing parties of Sri Lanka, the Communist Party and the Lanka Samasamaja Party, which formed against the implementation of half-socialism in alliance with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. Wijeweera did not believe in the electoral system or parliamentary system. He believed in turning Sri Lanka into a socialist country through a revolution.
Until 1977, political parties in Sri Lanka were formed based on economic policies and foreign policies. But after 1977, the political parties in Sri Lanka were born demanding democracy within the parties against the dictatorial constitutions of the main political parties in Sri Lanka. In 1983, Vijaya and Chandrika formed the People’s Party against the dictatorial constitution of Sri Lanka Freedom Party leader Mrs. Bandaranaike. Similarly, in 1992, Lalith and Gamini formed the Democratic United National Front, or Rajalia, against the dictatorial decisions of Premadasa of the U.N.P.
When in 2008, Mahinda Rajapaksa gained control of the SLFP and strengthened his family within the party despite the seniors of the party, it was Mangala and Sripathy who had the backbone to challenge Mahinda and leave the party. Mangala and Sripati got out of the SLFP during a time not even a fly flew over Mahinda’s head. Chandrika gave courage to Mangala and Sripati for that.
They did not want to challenge Mahinda and Mangala and Shripati left the party and went to the then-opposition UNP. They kept their party identity and challenged Mahinda and formed a party for the SLFP party members who came out of the SLFP to do politics. That is our national front. The symbol was the telephone. Mangala was the leader of our national front. Upulangani Malagamuwa was the secretary. Later, when Mangala accepted the membership of the U.N.P., Ruwan Ferdinands, who was close to Mangala, became the secretary and Upulangani became the leader.
At that time, Mahinda and the Rajapaksa family and the SLFP leaders who stood up for them, our national front was like a dream. JVP to support Fonseka in the 2010 presidential election. A condition was imposed. That is, Fonseka should contest under a common party and a common symbol. Then Mangala agreed to give Fonseka the telephone which was the symbol of our National Front. JVP also agreed to it. But Ranil liked the swan.
Again in 2015, when Maithripala Sirisena was running as the common candidate against Mahinda and the Rajapaksa family, Mangala proposed that Maithri should contest under the National Front and Telephone. But even then Ranil did not like the telephone and said let’s put the swan.
Senaka Perera, who was Fonseka’s political secretary after Maithri became president, took over the ownership of Ape National Front and Telephone and registered it in Diana’s name.
After Ranil ran for the presidential election in 1999 and lost, there were various riots within the party asking Ranil to step down from the leadership. In 2010, these riots became worse when Mahinda came forward to defend Ranil’s leadership. At that time, Sajith and Karu said that Ranil should be in the leadership, and Mangala attacked the demonstrators clubbing them with cinnamon poles to quell the demonstration organized to remove Ranil from the leadership. Ranil put Mangala in front and gave the job.
But after Ranil became the Prime Minister in 2015, Mangala got tired of Ranil and took to the streets to make Sajith the presidential candidate against Ranil. After the defeat of Sajith in the 2019 presidential election, Mangala and U.N.P asked Ranil to step down and Sajith to lead.. Ranil did not listen to leaders demands. Ranil used the power of the party constitution and kept the leadership for himself. Mangala and the U.N.P. had to form a new party because will not leave the leadership. The leaders decided. Sajith to take over the leadership of that party.
Fonseka was also of the opinion that he should separate from Ranil and form a new party under the leadership of Sajith. As Mangala had assigned his party, Ape National Peramuna and Telephone to Fonseka’s political secretary, both Mangala and Fonseka proposed to join forces and form the new party, Apse National Peramuna. Sajith changed its name. That is how Samagi Jana Balavega was born.
The Samagi Jana Balawegaya is a party that emerged against two dictatorial party constitutions. A party that emerged against the Sri Lanka Freedom Party constitution which was Mahinda Rajapaksa’s dictatorial party constitution in 2008 and the United National Party which was Ranil’s dictatorial party constitution in 2019. In 2020, our National Front Samagi Jana Balavegaya came against the Mahinda and Ranil deal.
Looking at it that way, the Samagi Jana Balavegaya is a force that was born against the dictatorial frenzy within the party. Just as common candidates were born against the executive presidential system, the Samagi Jana Balawega is born against the executive leaders created by the party constitution. On the other hand, this party is formed against the dictatorial leadership of the SLFP.
Subsequently, the party went before the people against the dictatorial leadership of the U.N.P. Today, Podujana Peramuna MPs against the Rajapaksas are joining the Sri Lankan People’s Force against the dictatorial leadership of this party is the home of all those who are beaten by dictatorial constitutions from the dictatorial leaders of the parties. Samagi Jana Balawega is the ‘House of Democracy’ no matter how much other parties try to portray Samagi Jana Balawega as Diana’s house.
